How We Work
Seven phases. Fixed scope per phase. Weekly demos. No surprises. A proven process for custom software delivery.
Discovery
We spend time in your business. Not workshops—actual observation. We shadow your teams, map current workflows, identify friction, and measure the cost of the status quo.
- Stakeholder interviews across departments
- Workflow shadowing and process mapping
- Pain point quantification (time, cost, errors)
- Existing system audit and integration mapping
- Risk and constraint identification
- Success criteria definition
Planning
We translate discovery into a concrete build plan. Architecture, data models, API contracts, UI flows, infrastructure, timeline, and budget—all documented and agreed before a line of code is written.
- System architecture and technology selection
- Data model design and migration strategy
- API contract specification (OpenAPI)
- User journey maps and wireframes
- Infrastructure architecture (IaC)
- Project plan with milestones and budget
- Risk register and mitigation strategies
Design
Design is not decoration. We design the interaction model, information architecture, and component system. High-fidelity prototypes validated with your users before development begins.
- Information architecture and navigation design
- Component system and design tokens
- High-fidelity interactive prototypes
- Usability testing with actual users
- Accessibility audit (WCAG AA)
- Design handoff with annotated specs
- Design system documentation
Development
We build in vertical slices—each slice delivers a working, tested feature from database to UI. Continuous integration, automated testing, and regular demos keep you in control.
- Test-driven development (unit, integration, e2e)
- Vertical slice delivery (backend + frontend)
- Weekly demo sessions with stakeholders
- Code review on every pull request
- Continuous deployment to staging
- Performance budgets enforced in CI
- Security scanning in pipeline
- Documentation as code (ADRs, API docs)
Testing
Quality is not a phase—it is embedded. But we still run a dedicated hardening sprint: load testing, penetration testing, UAT support, accessibility verification, and disaster recovery drills.
- Load and stress testing (k6)
- Penetration testing (OWASP Top 10)
- User acceptance testing coordination
- Accessibility verification (axe, manual)
- Disaster recovery and backup restoration test
- Browser and device compatibility matrix
- Data migration validation
- Go-live checklist and runbook
Deployment
Production release with zero-downtime deployment, smoke tests, monitoring alerts, and on-call support. We do not hand over and disappear.
- Blue-green or canary deployment
- Automated smoke test suite post-deploy
- Monitoring dashboards and alert rules
- Runbook for common operations
- On-call rotation for first 30 days
- DNS cutover with rollback plan
- SSL/TLS certificate management
- Post-launch retrospective at 2 weeks
Support
We stay. Retainer-based support includes: SLA-backed incident response, proactive monitoring, security patches, feature enhancements, and quarterly architecture reviews.
- SLA: 4-hour response (critical), 1 business day (standard)
- Proactive infrastructure monitoring and patching
- Monthly security updates and dependency upgrades
- Quarterly architecture review and tech debt assessment
- Feature enhancement backlog prioritization
- Capacity planning and scaling guidance
- Knowledge transfer and documentation updates
- Optional: dedicated development retainer
What Makes Our Process Different
Principles that separate engineering-led delivery from typical agency work.
Vertical Slice Delivery
Every sprint ships a working feature from database to UI. No integration hell at the end.
Fixed-Scope Phases
Discovery, Planning, Design, and each Development phase have fixed scope and price. No open-ended T&M.
Weekly Demos
You see working software every week. Feedback loops are short. Course correction is cheap.
Type Safety End-to-End
TypeScript strict mode. Shared types between client and server. Schema-driven development (Zod, Prisma, OpenAPI).
Observability By Default
Structured logs, metrics, traces, and alerts ship with every feature. Debugging production is a first-class concern.
Security As Hygiene
OWASP Top 10 mitigated by design. Dependency scanning in CI. Secrets never in code. Least privilege IAM.
Transparent Budgets
Real-time budget tracking. Scope changes require written approval. No surprise invoices.
We Stay After Launch
SLA-backed support retainers available. Quarterly architecture reviews. Feature evolution partnerships.